The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-12-10
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY,

One of the finest plate mills in the
country will soon start at Fernlale. Pa.
Three hundred men will be en-
ployed at Il new plate mill at Wheat
land. Pa.
The Southern manufacturing mills
are working night and day, with orders
running months ahead.
Within six months Chicago will
have five new packing-houses in active
operation. which, jointly with those
already in the city, will have u capacity
of preparing for the market daily 1900
head of beef cattle and $1,000 hogs
Boston Budget. T4
Applying certain measurements to
q scarcely visible film of silver, Herr
Wiener arrives at the conclusion that
no less than 125,0OO,O00 molecules of
silver must be laid in line to measure
an inch. -ArbG71SQO Traveller.
1t has been estimated that Paterson
turns out 500, 900 worth of finished
silk goods annually, and that Swiss
manufacturers and workmen are being
driven out of the business in conse-
quence. Public Opinion.
The foundry business has grown to
very large proportions this year. and
within three years the size and cost of
equipment has greatly increased. About
fifty large foundries, worth from $780,
900 to $4,000, are now under course Of
construction.
I'm his latest writings on solar
physics. Mr.. j. Norman Jockey, the
distinguished English astronomer, ex-
presses the opinion that the volume of
the sun is much greater than was form
erly supposed, and its density conse-
quently much less. The latter he esti-
mates to be about half the density of
water.-M Y. Ledger.
The prospect of further exploration
in the direction of the South Pole grows
brighter. The Prime Minister of the
Australian colony of Victoria proposes
an appropriation of fifty thousand dol
lars for the stimulation of Antarctic
research on the part of navigators, pro-
vidcd that the other colonies of Aus
tralasia will join in the enterprise
Y. Ledger.
-Ofthe various geological collections
in the British Museum, the oldest is the
Sloane collection, which was acquired
by purchase in 1853. The fossils were
then regarded as mere curi0sities, and
the original manuscript catalogue, still
preserved, contains many curious en-
tries to remind the readers of the rapid
progress of the science of geology
during recent years.-ArkanSaw 1rau-
eler.
"A magnificent gift has been made
to the Natural History Museum, South
Kensington, by Captain Wardlaw Ram
sey. The late Marques of Tweeddale
had perhaps the finest collection of
birds in Great B"itain. aud had in adj
dition very valuable archaeological
libary. This collection and the library
were bequeatbed to Captain Ramsey.
who has assigned the whole to the
nation, together with many rare or
astrological specimens obtained by
himself in the far East. The value OF
this present is Els, 900.
A. Pringle claims to have discov-
cred six new substances in some lower
silurian rocks in Selkirk. Five are said
to be metals, and the other is sub
stance resembling selenium. and which
he calls hesperisium. One metal is like
iron, but does not give the rhodanate
reaction, nor that with tannn; another
resembles lead is quite fusible and vol
atile, and forms yellow and green
salts; another is black, and he names it
erebodium; the fourth is light-gray
powder, and the last is dark in color.
For three of these elements the author
assigns the equivalents 95.4, 1876, and
74,-P'GbItc Opinion.
Under the auspices of the Wagner
Free Institute. CT Philadelphia, which
devotes q portion of its income to the
encouragement of original research,
scientific exploration of Florida was
made last year. A report of tho work
done, which was chiefly geological. has
recently been published. The investi-
cations did not tend to support the
opinion of Agassiz as to the coral for
nation of Florida, but indicated that
the coral tract of the peninsula is con-
fined to the south and southeast The
fossil remains examined by these and
earlier explorers show that Florida was
once inhabited by the llama, tapir,
camel, rhinoceros and mastodon.-M
y Ledger.